2011-12 was a hard year for the Portland Trailblazers, as they had just moved on from Brandon Roy and Greg Oden, the two supposed centerpieces of the franchise. Sure they still had LaMarcus Aldridge, who became an All Star and franchise player, but two thirds of their franchise core, was gone, because of injuries. They quickly fell down the standings in the West and realized that it was a lost season, so they made a trade, sending Gerald Wallace to the Nets for a first round pick in the following draft. That trade has now saved their franchise, years of rebuilding.
The Nets decided not to protect the pick higher than three slots, as they claimed that there were only three players in the draft they valued and gladly accepted an upgrade to the roster, in a move to appease upcoming free agent Deron Williams and in May, when the lottery passed and the pick was officially slotted at six, the deal was complete. That pick ended up being used on Damian Lillard, this year’s soon to be Rookie...

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